Vanishing on 7th Street
Directed by: Brad Anderson
Written by: Anthony Jaswinski
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Thandie Newton, John Leguizamo, Jacob Latimore

Although Brad Anderson has been loosely attached to a handful of remakes and sequels over the past few years (most notably The Crazies), none of them ultimately panned out for him — meaning he is one of the rare horror directors out there nowadays who is making a career out of completely original work. It’s probably no surprise, then, that he also has yet to achieve a mainstream breakthrough, instead building up a solid filmography of criminally underrated indie thrillers like The Machinist and Transsiberian. With a fair bit of experience under his belt, it feels like he’s been poised for success for a while now, a true masterpiece lurking just around the corner. Unfortunately, this is precisely why his latest film Vanishing on 7th Street comes across as such a disappointment.

The film has an intriguing premise and some decent scares, but it is hampered on all fronts by a thin plot, questionable acting and low production values. Anderson’s films have always been low budget affairs, but this time around it feels like he simply bit off more than he could chew. While there’s nothing wrong with being ambitious, in this case the execution leaves much to be desired. Fans of old school science-fiction and post-apocalyptic yarns will still find some comfort food here, but there’s no disputing the fact that this is a significant step down from his previous work.

The movie wastes no time with introductions or set up, plunging us headlong into its main crisis within the first two or three minutes. After a brief power outage at a movie theatre, the lights come back on and a projectionist (John Leguizamo) finds himself alone, save for the crumpled heaps of clothes where other people used to be. Across the city, a local news reporter (Hayden Christensen) wakes up in bed and becomes alarmed when he notices that the streets are deserted. Darkness is closing in, and the only thing that can hold it at bay is a light source. A rundown bar with a backup generator seemingly provides the only reliable light left in the city, and a small group of survivors take refuge there as they plan their escape.

Gamers may find the concept eerily similar to the video game Alan Wake, the difference being that Alan Wake has a much more fleshed out world and, sadly, higher calibre acting. Hayden Christensen received a bit of a bad rap for his performance in the Star Wars prequels, and although a large part of that was George Lucas’ fault, he’s not doing much to redeem himself here. Add Thandie Newton to the mix, playing a mother who is hysterically searching for her lost child, and you’ve got a whole lot of overacting going on. Granted, it’s no easy task to feign terror from mere shadows for 90 minutes, but it says something when 14-year-old newcomer Jacob Latimore is able to give the most convincing performance of the film in his first ever movie role.

Vanishing on 7th Street reminded me of M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening, not only because of the wooden acting, but also because it introduces a promising initial scenario that fails to follow through. The mystery is compelling at first, but as the story unfolds it becomes obvious that Anderson and screenwriter Anthony Jaswinski are more interested in keeping things vague rather than offering any sort of explanation. The movie takes on some heavy religious undertones in the final act, and the conclusion, although open to interpretation, seems to fully indulge this.

One interesting twist is that they hint at a connection to the real-life legend of the lost colony from Roanoke Island. John Leguizamo’s character just happens to have an interest in all kinds of strange X-Files-esque phenomena, and indeed, the movie feels more like an episode of The X-Files than a feature film. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, and it kind of makes sense considering that Anderson has directed quite a few episodes of Fringe. Like many TV episodes, there are some cool ideas, but the scope of the story is far too limited and it spends too much time stuck in a single location.

This movie is at its best when Brad Anderson’s natural instincts for scares and suspense kick in. After some of the characters decide to take action, the plot gains momentum and there are some genuinely creepy and goosebump-inducing moments. If only it had ended a little stronger, this movie might have redeemed itself.

Vanishing on 7th Street premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year as part of the Midnight Madness program, and even among genre fans it failed to spark much enthusiasm. Anderson seems to have a knack for character studies and psychological thrillers, but in aiming for pure genre fun, he seems to have missed the mark somewhat. Adjust your expectations accordingly, and you may still get some enjoyment out of the film, but ultimately Vanishing on 7th Street is more hokey than horrifying. — Sean

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